Style Imitating Art | “Triumphant Salute” by Matt Beyrer

Although Memorial Day is a week behind us already, this art inspiration still carries a very powerful message. But on a lighter note, let’s check out how it inspired my style.

About Style Imitating Art

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and Marsha of Marsha in the Middle. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday, one of the hosts, acting as presenter, selects an inspiration image that they will each post on their blogs. The following Monday, each host shares her art inspired outfit. Participants are invited to submit their art inspired outfits to the presenter by 10:00 p.m. EST on the Tuesday following the hosts’ art inspired outfit posts. The following day, Wednesday, the presenter will share all of the submissions on her blog.

You don’t have to be a blogger to join either! In fact, you don’t even have to join but you can still use the art to inspire an outfit just for the sake of trying something different. If you want to share your inspired outfit, we invite you do so on Instagram or any other social media platform that you prefer. Just be sure to tag Salazar, Shelbee, or Marsha or use #StyleImitatingArt so the hosts know you have joined. Go have some fun in your closets and join the next SIA challenge!

This Week’s Presenter

It was my turn to choose the art inspiration. To honor our nation’s fallen soldiers on our national day of mourning last week, I wanted to feature an artwork that sends an impactful message of reflection. This 2021 dye sublimation on wood by Michigan artist Matt Beyrer really hit me in the feels. Not only is the image quite powerful but the colors are beautiful and the wood dying technique is super unique and interesting. 

The Artwork

“Triumphant Salute” by Matt Beyrer

About the Artist: Matt Beyrer

Born in 1981 in Winter Park, Florida, Matt Beyrer is a Michigan based artist who was attacked by an 8 foot long hammerhead shark in the 8th grade, leaving him bedridden for months. During his recovery period, Matt discovered The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross which sparked a lifelong fascination with oil painting and creative expression. Matt’s curiosity quickly led to an obsession with understanding light, movement, texture, and emotion through artistic expression.

In 2006, he earned his BFA in Illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, followed by years of uncertainty as he experimented with different art forms trying to find his own creative voice. Those years of uncertainty shaped his perspective, created emotional depth in his work, and became an essential part of his creative process.

In the aftermath of 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, Matt experienced an unexpected accident that would define the future of his career. While handcrafting custom wood frames using reclaimed bark from storm damaged trees, he ran out of stain. To improvise, Matt created a mixture of oil paint, mineral spirits, and other materials he had on hand. When he applied this unique mixture to the wood, the grain suddenly became alive with movement, atmosphere, and natural flow, changing Matt’s perspective forever. He no longer viewed the wood as background or support material. Instead, the wood became part of the landscape of his art instead, leading to his signature approach which allows the natural structure of the wood to guide the composition, energy, and rhythm of each piece of art. His body of work contains paintings that reflect the landscape while highlighting a process of discovery and reminding us that some of our most defining moments in life began as accidents. According to the Facebook page for Matt Beyrer Fine Art, Matt is the Inventor & Creator of Natural Expressionism™️, a new and very interesting school of art.

His art focuses on the beauty that surrounds us with subject matter that includes nature’s landscapes, sunsets, horizons, and bodies of water. He has been influenced by the Old Masters such as Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Rembrandt van Rijn and Hudson River School Artists like Thomas Cole, Frederick Church, and Albert Bierstadt. Other influences on Beyrer’s work include Edvard Munch, illustrator Jaime Jones, concept artist Brandon Liao, and movie poster designer Drew Struzan. Many of Matt’s pieces are on display at the Park West Gallery in Southfield, Michigan.

About the Art: “Triumphant Salute”

“Triumphant Salute” is a 2021 caldograph (dye sublimation on wood) by Matt Beyrer measuring 15 x 20 inches (38.1 x 50.8 cm), hand signed by the artist in the lower left corner. The pink and purple dyes highlight the sky while the wood grain creates movement in the air as the shadow of a soldier salutes a cross with an American flag affixed to it. It is silent and bold, creating an intense emotional response triggered by the depth and richness of the colors as well as the subject matter itself.

Helpful Links:

• Parkwest Gallery: Triumphant Salute
• Matt Beyrer Fine Art

About My Outfit

For my style interpretation of this painting, I leaned heavily on tie dye as it resembles the movement created by the wood grain. I layered a long purple tie dye tee shirt dress underneath a shorter purple tie dye sundress. I added a bright purple long sleeve tee between the two dresses to really highlight the gorgeous color palette of the artwork. Last week, I wore these two dresses layered together with my black cowgirl boots to one of Ralph’s track meets, but I decided that my black combat tanker boots were more appropriate for this challenge to represent the image of the soldier. The combat boots work but the cowgirl boots were definitely better.

For accessories, I wanted to incorporate some bright pink and more black to capture all of the colors in the painting. I tied a black scarf to a bright pink scarf to create a longer two-toned scarf and added my bright pink fedora with a black scarf hat band. My earrings are bright pink feathers and my two pink necklaces are recent thrift store finds. The shorter necklace is predominantly blue on the front of it so I turned it backwards to let the pink beads show and added a pink brooch to the clasp to hide it from view.

This outfit is definitely not as serious or somber as the artwork but it captures the colors and movement of the painting pretty accurately. Instead of being sad and reflective, it is a bit quirky and wild and totally in tune with my current over-the-top style aesthetic.

I hope you have enjoyed this round of Style Imitating Art. If you want to play along and create your own outfit inspired by beautiful painting, I will feature you in my gallery post on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Just be sure to submit your photos to me at shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com by 10:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. In the meantime, be sure to check out Salazar’s interpretation as well as Marsha’s take on it. 

Until then, happy styling! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee